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Monday, January 5, 2009

She Likes Me, She REALLY Likes Me!

I’ve tried about thirteen different ways of starting this post, but none of them seem to do it justice. You see, I’m letting you in on the big reveal today. I’m showing you the gift I got this year that just undid me.

First of all, let me say that I love all three of my girls with every bit of my heart. Each one is special in her own way, and each one tries her best to make me feel special every day.

I am blessed. Beyond belief, I am blessed.

So it doesn’t seem quite right to single out one of my girls for doing something special for me, but today I’m going to do just that because I think you’ll appreciate it almost (but never quite) as much as I did.

About two weeks before Christmas, Maggie went into panic mode. She had known for a few weeks what she wanted to make me for Christmas, but she hadn’t started working on it. Finally, she got herself set up at a desk in the basement and started working. She worked for hours, all by herself in the basement—everything was top-secret. Should I happen to head downstairs for something, Maggie would yell, “Mom, cover your eyes! Don’t look!”

So I played along. I figured that if Maggie was working so hard on my gift, I surely would want to be surprised by it.

Now, here’s the “bad Mommy” confession . . . I was a little worried. I mean, a homemade gift from a 10 year old—how great could it be, really? And what would it be? I figured she was drawing me a picture; it would be nice, for sure, but I’d probably open it and say, “Oh, Maggie, that’s nice. Thank you so much.” And then I’d file it away and forget about it.

That’s my selfish self talking, and I know it. The selfish self that I despise so much but who keeps popping out at the worst possible moments.

Well, good news—my selfish self got a good kick in the butt this Christmas when I opened the actual gift that Maggie made for me.

Are you ready? Here it is:

And here’s the back side:

Christmas morning stopped dead in its tracks when I opened this most precious of gifts. All of that hard work and secrecy in the basement had turned into a calendar that Maggie made for me which read “12 months, 12 reasons to love Mom.”

Now, I’m not much for tears; I try to hold them in as much as I can. But on this Christmas morning, leafing through the calendar that my precious daughter had painstakingly made for me, the calendar that reminds her and me every month of why I do what I do, the floodgates opened and I wept tears of joy, gratitude, and love for this little girl who loves me so much.

Never was a mother so humbled.

Never was that selfish self proven wrong and kicked so hard to the corner.

THAT is an absolute TREASURE!! My son made a calendar for me last year, but it's all pictures (a school project). OF COURSE I'll keep it forever, but, the calendar your daughter made you? I might have to keep it UP for years, lol.

You HAD to share that with the world; though it was a gift just for you, it blesses all of "us" to know you received it. Just precious :).

Your post brought tears to my eyes. How precious!! Something I'm sure you will keep forever and maybe when those teenage years hit you can get it out and read it over and over again if the road gets tough...but with such a sweet heart I don's see her trying to be rebellious. Sweet blessings for 2009~Marie